The ankle joint is one of the major weight-bearing structures in the body, and it is often injured when walking or running or twisting or landing incorrectly in sport. You’ll find that many ankle injury rehabilitation plans include physiotherapy. A Sports Medicine physician or physiotherapist can help you heal and avoid re-injury when you return to sport or daily tasks. The first step will be creating a customized treatment plan with your physician and physiotherapist.
Sports Medicine for Ankle Injuries
If you don’t have a fracture, you should seek treatment from a physiotherapist as soon as possible. If you’ve suffered a sports injury, you may see a sports physiotherapist. Usually, your Sports Medicine Physician will start you off with exercises to improve your range of motion and strengthen your ankle. You may do these in the hospital and/or physiotherapy clinic and will likely continue with a home exercise program. You may also do some trunk exercises, because while you can’t weight bear on your ankle, you need to keep your trunk strong. As you’re able to weight bear a bit more, you’ll move to weight-bearing exercises and proprioceptive exercising.
Other Sports Medicine Physician Treatments for Ankle Injuries
Manual therapy (hands-on manipulation)
Ultrasound: This deep heating treatment is administered by your physical therapist using a wand that’s connected to an ultrasound machine pressed against your skin.
Dry needling and/or acupuncture: Some patients find relief from a practitioner inserting short, thin needles into pressure points.
TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation): Your Sports Medicine Physician may use this technique to decrease pain around injury.
Taping: Your physiotherapist may tape the injured site to provide support and stability while you heal.
Heat therapy: The physiotherapist may incorporate heat into your treatment to reduce pain, increase circulation and relax the muscles.
Massage and other soft tissue techniques
Your Sports Medicine Physician will probably use a combination of treatment techniques to help you recover after an ankle injury. Although a physiotherapist can help you improve symptoms, reduce pain and increase mobility, it will also be up to you to continue an exercise program at home for optimal results.
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A physiotherapist can help you heal and avoid re-injury when you return to sport or daily tasks. The first step will be creating a customized treatment plan with your physician and Sports Medicine Physician.
Usually, your physiotherapist will start you off with exercises to improve your range of motion and strengthen your ankle. You may do these in the hospital and/or physiotherapy clinic and will likely continue with a home exercise program. You may also do some trunk exercises, because while you can’t weight bear on your ankle, you need to keep your trunk strong.
Your Sports Medicine Physician may use hands-on techniques such as joint mobilization and massage to treat your ankle injury.
Ultrasound is a deep heating treatment that is administered by your physical therapist using a wand that’s connected to an ultrasound machine pressed against your skin.
Your physiotherapist may tape the injured site to provide support and stability while your ankle injury heals.
Adherence:
Adhering to your medications, prescribed exercises or lifestyle changes (such as dietary changes, smoking cessation, reduced alcohol consumption, etc.) is essential to improving health outcomes successfully. Compliance to any prescribed treatment is the number one thing you can do to ensure positive changes and optimal treatment outcomes.
Sports medicine physicians have specialized training in the field of medicine. They typically deal with sport or exercise-related injuries. These physicians have a specialized education and training that focuses on the medical and therapeutic aspects of sports participation and physical activity. Their primary focus tends to be on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of injuries that occur during sports and other physical activity.